Category: Taxes

New unemployment numbers were released today (July 8) and the bad news is that the unemployment rate jumped to 9.2 percent. This number was released smack dab in the middle of the negotiations on raising the debt ceiling and just 48 hours before a rare Sunday meeting between members of Congress and the President as they try to hammer out a deal on raising the debt ceiling. Fiscal conservatives are staking their ground by insisting on spending cuts without tax increases while others keep the door open to tax increases. Rumors have been leaked about Republicans accepting a deal that would include an increase in revenues. Now is not the time to burden the taxpayers with more taxes. That is why it is imperative to tell your member of Congress to stop the over spending and demand real spending cuts and no tax increases. Call the main switchboard of the Capitol at 202-224-3121.

The nation is plagued with a $14.3 trillion debt and a deficit that exceeds $1 trillion. This is happening as the country struggles to emerge from one of its worst economic downturns in history. Just as any household that is faced with economic woes, Congress should cut (spending), cap (spending) and pass a balanced budget amendment.

On Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks celebrated their first NBA championship. In winning the championship, the Mavs displayed clutch shooting, shrewd coaching, unwavering confidence in each other, and thrilling performances from their best player, Dirk Nowitzki.

But the Mavs, and several of the other top teams in pro basketball, have another advantage that most fans never consider.

After all, the advantage isn’t created in the weight room or on the practice courts. It’s gained in buildings that most players will never visit, in cities that are often hundreds of miles from where the teams play.

Tennessee is in the middle of a taxation battle as the state legislature figures out what to do with an agreement that former Governor Phil Bredesen agreed to and current Governor Bill Haslam intends to honor which would exempt Amazon (the mega Internet seller of books and other goods) from paying state taxes, if it builds distribution centers in Tennessee. Any legislation that invalidates this deal would be harmful to the Volunteer State and its residents.

On February 19, 2009 President Obama signed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, or more commonly known as the Stimulus Bill. There was more than $800 billion in spending that was supposed to address unemployment and the economic dip that America had experienced. What it did was create a myriad of new programs that have little to do with job creation and more to do with expanding government’s reach into society.